02: Instructor Candwell

"How was your first day at school today?", Mum asked as I appeared at the front door, having trekked the distance from the bus stop to the house.

"Fineee", I replied, walking lazily towards the stairs.

Mum looked at me and just smiled perhaps thinking I had a good but stressful day after all.

I got to my room and slammed the door, looked round and saw my things exactly the way I left them, slumping on my bed with my bag still on my shoulder. I instinctively removed it and flung it towards my reading table where it landed perfectly.

I brought out my phone from my pocket, looked at the screen and saw an unread message.

*New message:* "Hey man, just dropped home now, decided to send a message so you get my contact too, see you at school tomorrow".

I smiled a bit as I remembered Anderson and all the stories we shared on the bus ride home, he was a pretty funny dude and nice and cool too.

Something lingered at the back of my mind, trying to come to the surface of my memory but it seemed slimy and out of reach, I was trying to remember something that seemed out of place about him, after many attempts, I gave up and instead thought of Instructor Candwell.

I wonder who he is, what he is, because he sure doesn't seem humane to me. I racked my head thinking of stories I heard from friends, magazines ,tv shows and entertainments. He might be a kind of Vampire? Naww, who was I kidding? A werewolf? Hmm probably...but still nope

Dayum..what or who is he? I'd ask someone or somebo... I drifted into the land of nothingness.

***************************************

"Hey man", I heard a familiar voice call out trying to get my attention.

I turned round and saw Anderson walking towards me with his school bag over one shoulder, his curly, dense bushy hair giving afro vibe. He wore a black sports sweater over his white tshirt tucked into black sports joggers and two clean white trainers, he looked ready to jump a high fence, he was the sporty type. His height towering up to 175.3cm, he was really tall for a 16 year old.

Overall, he's a black, tall and sporty dude, and a cool one too.

He got to where I sat and sat on the chair just beside me.

"Class hasn't started yet?", He asked bringing out his books and placing them on the table.

"As you can see", I replied gesturing to the students murmuring and being all idle. He shrugged and brought out his phone thumbing through it and smiling, I wondered who he was texting.

"Hey Andrew", A girl's voice floated towards my ears, she appeared before me all smiles and polite.

"Hey Camille", I greeted back turning a bit red again. As I said, not used to being noticed by girls. I caught Anderson from the corner of my eyes smiling widely and 'Oh' how I wanted to wipe that smile off.

"Hey Camille", He also said to her, while she also greeted him back.

"You guys know each other??", I as ked, surprised this wasn't their first time meeting.

"Nope isn't, we went to nursery school together", Camille answered. She wore a short light pink skirt stopping just above her knees and a black top over it, her hair tied back in a ponytail and two strands of hair left to fall over her eyes, she looked fresh and smelled fresh too.

Smelled?? When did I become so sensitive to how someone smell?? It almost felt like I could smell her, not her perfume, just her, and she smelled like a clear sunny day, clear skies, clean air. Wowww what's happening?

"Andrew??", I heard Anderson say his hand on my shoulder.

"Umm I'm good, just feeling a bit dizzy rn", I said trying to put on a brave smile.

Whatever they wanted to say was interrupted as someone walked in.

Instructor Candwell!!

My eyebrows immediately furrowed instinctively, I think Anderson noticed it also and gave me an eye raise.

"Good day students", He greeted loudly "Good day Instructor Candwell", they all replied back. I didn't utter a word, just stared at him as my mind wandered back to yesterday's incident.

"I shall replace the teacher that ought to be here for this period", he continued " as she has some emergencies to deal with at the moment".

Halfway through his teaching of the periodic table and their elements, he turned round abruptly and faced us.

"You, no not you but the one beside you ", He said pointing towards my direction.

"On your feet", He said quite calmly.

I got to my feet apprehensively and looked at the faces of my fellow mates, theirs were just as confused as mine.

"And you are?", He asked looking at me intently.

"Andrew", I replied curtly.

He stared daggers at me and I felt a kind of sharp pain below my abdomen. Fear?

"Andrew who?", He probed, the class as quite as the dead by now.

"Andrew Maklov", I replied saying my full name clearly.

"What's the name of the fourth element?", He asked unexpectedly pacing the front of the class.

"Umm umm.. I have no idea sir?", I said quietly already hot with shame.

"Yes you don't, you haven't been attentive, instead you've been looking at me like I fell from the skies", He said aloud which brought giggles from some students behind me. "To my office after the end of this class", he said turning to the board with a flourish.

"Damn Andrew, what do you have with instructor candwell?", Anderson asked curiously as he escorted me to the instructor's office.

"Nothing for real brr, just have some bad feelings, that's all", I said, my brain running 100 miles a second thinking of the possibility of staying all alone with that man.

We got to his office and about to tap the door

"Mind what you say Andrew, he gets a bit dangerous when one gets him mad", Anderson warned walking back towards where we came from.

"Wait, what do you mean?, What's that all about?", I asked but he was already swallowed by the students streaming from different doors already done with a class and going to their nexts. I meant to follow after him when I felt the cuffs of my shirt being held back.

I looked up and stared into really dark green eyes with a red tinge around it making me think of not having enough sleep for days.

"And where do you think you were going?", Instructor Candwell asked, his hand still holding unto me tightly.

Oh no!!